Reasons to Travel with a Backpack on Your Next Vacation

Written by Rebecca Siegel of halfhalftravel.com

Whether you’re a ‘backpack person’ or a ‘suitcase person,’ there are times when a backpack is the ideal choice to make for a specific type of trip. Backpacks provide a unique level of casualness and flexibility that suitcases can’t, and that’s of course, if your travel circumstances permit.

Times when I’ve been most thankful that I’ve been traveling with a backpack were times when I was limited to a specific amount of space (such as the time I tried out flying the new flight class of ‘basic economy’) or sets of circumstances that I expected at my destination.

Maybe you’ve never traveled with a backpack before! Here are a list of reasons for why a SwissTech backpack may fit your next adventure most appropriately.

Let’s be honest -- most cars don’t have unlimited trunk space! I recently road-tripped with friends for a beach weekend, and I was so glad that all my friends in the car brought backpacks and other types of soft bags. Had we had to fit five suitcases in the trunk, I’m honestly not sure what we would have done! 

With backpacks, you can squish them up against each other or even remove items from them so that they flatten out. If we had needed, we also could have put them under the feet of one of my friends in the backseat. 

If you’re looking for a mid-size backpack for a weekend road trip, try the SwissTech 18" Excursion Backpack, which even has a full-length water-resistant bottom to keep things dry, in case some water from the beach gets in the car. It measures 18”H x 12”W x 8”D, so you can fit it comfortably in various parts of a car, or under a bus or airplane seat if the bag is not full. 

My most memorable “I’m so glad I don’t have a suitcase” moment was in the Bangkok International Airport, when I was connecting on a layover to a flight to Cambodia. I was running in what I like to think of as a cross-airport dash, knowing that every second counted toward making or missing the flight.

Luckily, I was traveling with a backpack, which allowed me to run at the pace I needed, rather than wheeling a suitcase beside or behind me. I made the flight with only minutes to spare, and fit my backpack in the overhead compartment as a carry-on. 

Not only are airports places where you may have to run, but there have been times when I’ve arrived in a new city and couldn’t get a cab, or buses were no longer running from a train station, and had to walk a mile to my accommodation with my luggage. Luckily, I was traveling with a backpack and didn’t have to worry about wheeling a suitcase for 20 minutes (What if a wheel breaks? What if the sidewalks are terribly bumpy? What if there are tons of steps?). 

For times when you know you may have to do some walking and you want something comfortable on your back, consider a SwissTech backpack like the Excursion backpack. This bag comes with a removable and adjustable padded shoulder strap, allowing you to travel comfortably when you need to shift the weight of a bag against your body during transit. 

One characteristic that a small or mid-size backpack has over a suitcase is that you can take it around during the day as your day bag. If you’re going away for a short weekend trip and can fit all your changes of clothing and toiletries into a single backpack, then congrats -- you can also use the backpack when you’re out for the day! This is one thing that you can’t do with a suitcase. 

A lot of what makes a backpack feel heavy is clothing and liquids. If you unpack where you’re staying and leave again with the same bag, taking only what you need for a day out (hiking, sightseeing or doing another type of activity), then voila -- your backpack has a new purpose! 

For a backpack that is best for a weekend trip or a vacation for a few days, order a SwissTech 18’’ Excursion backpack! With this bag, you can enjoy features like an integrated USB port power bank (so useful), a fleece-lined pocket to use for your media or delicate sunglasses and also, an ‘add-a-bag’ trolley sleeve. 

Want to see where I’m headed next with my backpack? Follow me at my [@halfhalftravel Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/halfhalftravel/) and the [@halfhalftravel blog](https://halfhalftravel.com) that I share with my boyfriend, Dan. 

Becca